Titans Champions successfully defend

WHAT a night it was at the Dover courts, as Sheldene Waldron took down the #1 seed, and Mark ‘Venom’ Griffith rallied out against his nemesis in a five set thriller, to win the Senior Women’s and Men’s titles of the Massy United Insurance Clash of the Titans.

The road tennis was pure class at the final night of the competition, and the packed stands were just a hint of the exciting night of tennis to be played.

Sheldene Waldron came into the competition as the defending champion and worked her way easily through the competition, to face off against the #1 on the island, Kim Holder. It was to be an outstanding night for Waldron. She was a step above Holder all during the battle, with Holder looking out of sorts and unable to catch a rhythm.

The defending champ showed her intent from the very first game, sowing the island’s best player 21-9. She kept her focus and her composure into the next game, even when Holder tried to make a run. Despite the effort, Waldron would not be held back, and with a fist pump after netting the ball to end the second game 21-19, the title was hers to hold again, along with the winning prize of $5 000.

The night was not finished yet and the atmosphere was already charged. Mark ‘Venom’ Griffith took on Julian ‘Michael Jackson’ White, aka World Boss, in what was a 5 set showdown between the top two road tennis players Barbados has to offer.

Griffith started the ball rolling in his title defence, with a dominant first set where he looked determined to keep White at bay, and took the game 21-15. They do not call White Michael Jackson for nothing, however, and in the second set, he took to the proverbial stage. Passing shot after passing shot, Jackson had Griffith all over the court, taking him down 11-21, and just like that, it was 1-1.

The fans in the crowd and many a tourist were uncertain about who would win, but they all agreed that is was great tennis being played. The battle continued in earnest, with Griffith playing the better of the two in the third set, as White committed some unforced errors, many into the net. A few fans were saying the venom was kicking in, and it surely seemed that way, with ‘Venom’ taking the third 21-16, to lead 2-1.

This time the battle looked over and done with, White drenched in sweat and taking more breaks than Griffith. It was all an illusion. White still had plenty fight left in the tank, and started to play some exceptional shots, posing at the end of each one to the delight of the fans. He took set 4, 17-21, to force a fifth and deciding set.

The set would be one to remember, with ‘Venom’ jumping out to an 11-3 lead. At 15-5, Jackson hit the ball out, and questioned the call by the linesman, and sat on his racket in disbelief. He looked broken and out of the fight. The name ‘World Boss’ is not just for show, and White let the tennis do the talking to explain the name.

With the score at 16-6, Jackson rallied to win 6 straight points, to give himself a fighting chance at 16-12. His body, unfortunately, was not up to continue the fight, and his racket hand caught cramp at 17-12, and though he fought to come as close as 18-16, Griffith was too strong in the end. 21-17 was the final score, and Mark Griffith took his second consecutive Clash of the Titans Road Tennis title, receiving $12 000 as his prize.